chris Posted December 30, 2006 Posted December 30, 2006 We are considering Croatia in July/August and need to work out the best route and where to camp as no aires there. Can anyone advise please? Our van is lowline but 3850kg so do we go through Austria or Italy? We have 5 weeks so can take our time. Two adults only . Is it worth the journey to this country? Must say it looks good on the official tourist website. Any information gratefully received.
peedee Posted December 30, 2006 Posted December 30, 2006 Have a look at my write up of our visit this year at www.wheelgotravelling.com. If I were to go again (highly likely) I would still go via Austria. peedee
chris Posted December 30, 2006 Author Posted December 30, 2006 peede Can't access that website. Is it written correctly? Chris
Don Madge Posted December 30, 2006 Posted December 30, 2006 chris - 2006-12-30 5:09 PM peede Can't access that website. Is it written correctly? Chris Chris This should get Pete's site http://www.wheelgotravelling.info/ It's an excellent site full of very useful info. Don
peedee Posted December 30, 2006 Posted December 30, 2006 Thanks Don, dunno what I was thinking about! Happy New Year to you. peedee
Don Madge Posted December 30, 2006 Posted December 30, 2006 peedee - 2006-12-30 10:42 PM Thanks Don, dunno what I was thinking about! Happy New Year to you. peedee Senior moments old chap. Happy New Year Don
DonB Posted December 31, 2006 Posted December 31, 2006 We returned from a five week trip to Croatia in October, We had a great time, the scenery especially along the coast, is spectacular, the sea is warm and very clean. Many of the locals speak English. Wild camping is illegal but there are many campsites. We found them very good and not expensive. Most of the toilet blocks we used were better than in France or Germany. The Tourist Offices will supply a list or brochure of all the campsites. Make sure you choose campsites called Autocamp, anything that just says Camping will probably not have good access for a motorhome. Recommended visits - Dubrovnik, Pula, Porec, the coast road going north from Zadar. We also did a quick trip up to Mostar to see the famous bridge, which was well worth a visit, but this is best done as a day trip because there are no campsites at all in that part of Bosnia, and large parts of the countryside are still mined. We did this wrong and spent the night in a car park! If you do this trip check that your insurance will cover you for Bosnia. Oh, and we used the Austria route which was good.
betsy Posted January 1, 2007 Posted January 1, 2007 Hi Chris, My wife and I had a five week trip to just south of Dubrovnik and back in September/October. Well worth it. We went down via Austria/Slovenia and back across the top of Italy (the latter mostly done in one day on the very reasonably priced Italian motorways from Trieste to Venice - which was well worth the stop in the large coach/campervan aire/car park with electrics included right next to the vaporetto water bus/taxi). Croatia, we meandered down the fabulously beautiful coast and, as it was the off season, parked up alongside other campervans (mostly French) adjacent to a number of small ferry landing points along the way. There is no doubt that a lot of the larger campsites (many of which had already closed) are very good (the one in Dubrovnik is one of these and well run with frequent nearby buses into town) many of the smaller ones that we saw along the coast are best avoided unless they are right on the water in such a location as will make up for basic amenities. Ref Bosnia and the short stretch of the coast road which is part of that country. I could not get insurance cover for this strip of land (which you come across very suddenly when you meet a customs/immigration post in the middle of nowhere and simply drove through. To avoid driving uninsured on the way back we went along the peninsula of Croatia adjacent to it and took the very good local ferry to Ploce for only 12 quid after spending another wonderful night next to the water a short way away from the ferry pier. One tip, whilst the restaurants are good and food not expensive (local beers are good but the wine is very much a hit-or-miss thing) we wished that we had taken more things like tinned meat etc as there was not a lot of variety in the supermarkets. Hope that you have a good trip, at the time of year you are going it will be busy. Regards
chris Posted January 1, 2007 Author Posted January 1, 2007 Thanks everyone Croatia is on the cards but we are concerned about the distance to drive and during July August.Will keep studying the routes and information you have all given and have sent for info from Croatian tourist board. It does look a beautiful country. Will let you know if we finally go Chris
Bill Ord Posted January 2, 2007 Posted January 2, 2007 My route this year took me over the Col de Mon Cenis on N6 From France into Italy then alomg A4 past Turin and Milan, we detoured to lake Garda and then along A4 again, past Venice into Slovenia then Croatia. It depends which part of Croatia you wish to visit as to which way you enter, if you're going to major on the Istrian Peninsula then take the direct route from Trieste towards Novigrad I won't burden you with road numbers it's obvious on the map. If you are going to major on the Dalmation coast go direct fromA4 round Trieste; the signs show SLO (Slovenia) take direction Rijeka. I used the Col de Mon Cenis route as it avoids the Frejus tunnel and the hefty toll and it's very very scenic. This was our second visit to Croatia as on our first trip four years ago we were a little disapointed but thought that there hadn't been enough time since the war for rebuilding. However things have not improved much and the state of some of the camp sites leaves much to be desired and I think the sites are over priced compared to France, expect to pay near Caravan Club prices. This is probably because camp sites have a monopoly, there are NO aires and you are not allowed to wild/free camp. Give it a go as it is a beautiful country but in my view it's not worth the drive unless you're doing a major trip where Croatia is just a part of it. Bill Ord
chris Posted January 2, 2007 Author Posted January 2, 2007 Thanks Bill That was a very honest, open reply and the type I will take notice of. 3000 miles is a long way to travel in 5 weeks and paying high camp fees which we will obviously have to book ahead. The thing we hate doing is booking as it plans things out too much for you. We have been going over the channel for the last 5 summers without booking and this includes Germany, France and Prague etc. Last summer we changed our plans because the weather was bad in the Alps and headed south so I think we have to REALLY think hard and maybe reconsider Croatia another time. Thanks Bill Chris
peteandjackie Posted January 27, 2007 Posted January 27, 2007 Hi Chris, we have done the Croatia route about 5 times using different routes but mainly through Austria. However, the last time travelled through Austria we were the victim of the gobox, not knowing of the NEW law that places vehicles over 3500kg in a different class to those who require a vignette. We recieved a fine of 220 euros, and have not travelled there since. You can avoid the Austrian autobhan network by using the "A" roads via Kitzbul and the Plocken Pass into Italy, picturesque but for my wife Jackie, TERRIFYING. If we venture to Croatia again I think we would give the Italian route ago. Hope this helps Pete and Jackie
chris Posted January 27, 2007 Author Posted January 27, 2007 Thanks Pete and Jacky, Since making this posting and receiving replies we have changed our minds and booked Porstmouth/Bilabo with AT ferries for £494 return so we are now heading to Spain and Portugal. Your information was what we were looking for and will keep this in mind another year as we still intend to go to Croatia if all is well. Thanks Chris
Brian Kirby Posted January 27, 2007 Posted January 27, 2007 ChrisRe AT ferries, have you caught Don Madge's "A trip to Spain" string? You just may wish to chack/change that booking for peace of mind.
chris Posted January 27, 2007 Author Posted January 27, 2007 Hi Brian I have kept a close eye on the AT ferries saga and am relieved to see that they have deployed this ship back to the Mediteranian until the end of April and not stopped operating. People who had booked with them up to that date have already been refunded their money so glad to hear that. They are now starting to take bookings again from the end of April. It was a bit scary reading on the forums about this company but hopefully we should be ok. If not, then Norfolk line and France here we come. Thanks Chris
Don Madge Posted January 27, 2007 Posted January 27, 2007 There are many members of the CCC on this site who were booked on AT ferries. I've spoken to one who was contacted by CCC and re-booked on the P&O ferry from Bilbao. Some who have booked direct with AT have been promised a full refund. I would not rely on AT ferries reinstating the service in April, they might find a pressing need for it elsewhere. Don
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